E-books have been around since the early 1990s but have had a slow adoption by the higher education community. While e-books allow for the inclusion of richer media, providing a more interactive experience for the reader, the format, as well as access and copyright issues, are still currently evolving. Explore this resource site—a collection of all EDUCAUSE resources related to E-Books.

Articles, Papers, and Reports

Cost Differentials between E-Books and Print in Academic Libraries, College & Research Libraries. January 2015. This article discusses how academic libraries face funding pressures compounded by the need to provide students with access to electronic resources, both in journal and book formats. Dealing with space constraints and the need to repurpose library space to other uses, libraries must carefully examine the move to e-only formats for books to determine if the format makes reasonable economic sense.

Assessment of E-Book Strategies, EDUCAUSE Live!, June 2014. In this session, findings from three institutions will provide insight into the kinds of information collected, what the data revealed, and the impact of these studies on policies and strategic directions.

The Current State and Potential Future of E-Textbooks, ELI Brief, November 5, 2013. The University of Washington conducted apilot to investigate two leading e-textbook platforms to determine which platform participants preferred. Participating instructors taught with their choice of e-textbook and selected the platform they preferred; they were not required to use the e-textbook in a predetermined manner. This brief discusses the pilot and its findings.

Stanford School of Medicine E-Book Pilots, ELI Brief, January 2013. This project focused on the authoring and publishing processes as well as the response of the residents who were to be the eventual users.

2011 Horizon Report, ELI/NMC, February 2011. Each year, the Horizon Report describes six areas of emerging technology that will have significant impact on higher education. This year electronic books are prominently featured in the report.

Presentations, Podcasts, Seminars, and Videos

Assessment of E-Book Strategies, EDUCAUSE Live! June 25th, 2014. Claremont Colleges Library presents results from a study, comparing the usage of the print and electronic equivalent of the same Course Adopted Book title, they also give a quick look at the types of data collected and analyzed from the e-book DDA service.

DIY E-Books Using Open-Source Tools, EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2013, This session will introduce several resources and tools for designing and developing engaging and accessible e-books.

eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education?, EDUCAUSE Live!, January 2012.This EDUCAUSE Live! This program addresses the strategic, business, and policy implications for institutions in light of a changing world of consumer electronics and new models for digital educational resources such as eTexts, website tutorials, and other licensed content

Digital Content in Higher Education – Practical Findings, ELI Web Seminar, March 2011 (ELI membership required) This webinar provides an overview of the digital textbook landscape as it currently exists and a glimpse into the emerging trends that will shape higher education digital content in the near future.